Feeling useful and content

10 September 2009

After two busy days at work, I'm at home, alone, today. Nice. Hanno is taking our friend to the doctor in Brisbane and I will be left to my own devices here behind the closed gate. I intend to have a quiet and gentle day with a mixture of things I like doing, mingled with a few chores I'd rather not do.

It's almost 5 am now, soon I'll feed Alice and Hettie and let the chooks out. Breakfast with Hanno will follow and then he will head off to have a haircut and pick up Bernadette. I'll clean up the kitchen, make bread, sweep the floor and make the bed. The main bathroom needs a clean today and I have to do a spot of ironing, so I'll do that before I go out into the garden to see what happened in the two days I worked. I want to see Quentin and Quince with the older chooks and if I'm lucky, I'll bring in some eggs. I'm not sure what we'll have for dinner tonight so while I'm in the garden I'll see what needs to be picked and that will determine what we eat.

I think it will be time for tea then, so I'll have that on the front verandah and do a little knitting. The weather is comfortably warm at the the moment and it will be something to look forward to. Later in the day I'll will make up a batch of ginger beer (recipe here) from the plant I started last week, I'll write and catalogue some photos. I have been taking photos here every day for a few years now. I need photos for various writing assignments and I'm wasting a lot of time going through the un-named folders. It's a tedious job, but one that must be done, so I'm doing a little each day.

I'll be dropping by the forum too as time allows today. I wanted to write much more than I have in there but the setting up has taken time. Hopefully I'll do that today. I want to get acquainted with you all and get inspired by what you're doing. There are so many interesting threads of conversation in there it's surprised me how quickly it's taken off. I just checked - exactly 300 members. Amazing.

Hanno will come home late in the afternoon, probably as I'm preparing our evening meal and we'll go through the routine again of feeding the animals, collecting late eggs and closing the door on the chooks when they put themselves to bed. It's going to be a fairly slow day but I'm happy to be working at home, pottering around at my own pace, and feeling useful and content in my home. What will you be doing today/tomorrow?

41 comments

Today is another work day, should be off in a hour or so, then to the bank and then home. Dinner spaghetti sauce pulled from the freezer, a quick wander out to the garden to see if anything needs to be picked and hopefully a quiet evening. The leaves are starting to change and i am in the organizing, decluttering mode as we spend more time inside in the cooler months. So i hope to have a few minutes to go through our closet before dinner and pull a few things that can be donated. Really looking to minimize our belongings and keep what we only truly use and need.Dawn M

I am at work today, but when I get home I will continue to read "Nourishing Traditions". Thank you for mentioning it on one of your recent blogs. It confirms many things I already knew about food and I am totally absorbed in it. I hope I can incorporate many of the changes it recommends into my life. I am currently working on simplifying my life and you are an enormous help. Your planned day today sounds wonderful.

Hi RhondaToday I am working a full 8 hour day. I was home at lunch so I was able to walk the dog and eat a healthy homemade meal. When I get off work I will go home and have my mother over for dinner. Later in the evening I will pay bills, do a few simple chores and hopefully freeze some garden tomatoes. Oh, and during my breaks at work I am knitting a wool hat for the upcoming winter months :)

Well,I was hoping to catch up with the forum but, try as I might, I cannot access it at all. I successfully posted a "hello" yesterday but today a notice appears saying that I do not have access to the forum. (A system error 401 I think)Hmmm very frustrating....

So, I damp dusted the furniture, vacuumed downstairs, (upstairs tomorrow), made bread which didn't rise properly because I forgot the ascorbic acid, cleaned the litter trays, fed/groomed/cuddled the cats, fed and cleaned my rescue birds, and now I am off to pick some beans for dinner which will bechick pea patties, pots, corn and beans. I will have dinner by myself (hubby is away) sitting in front of the TV watching a previously recorded show with a large glass of homemade red. I shall also wish I were more computer literate so I could understand why I cannot access the forum today! Hope I can get in tomorrow....Jane

Today is a day of mixed desires for me...i have been away from my home for a few days too and feeling a little fragmented. We are building some cottages on our property and dealing with all the different people one needs to can be a little daunting. Thankfully my gorgeous teenager loves to cook and last night we enjoyed cannelloni. I am missing my creative time so today i am hoping to indulge a little there. Happy Day :)

Jane dear. I have set the forum up so everyone who enters must be a member. I hope that will reduce spammers. So I guess you've signed up for your Yuku account if you got in to say hello. Depending on your computer settings, you might have automatically logged out when you left. When you are logged out of your Yuku account, when you try to enter again, you'll see the 404 error message. All you need to do is to sign in again and you can enter immediately. I hope that works. If it doesn't let me know please.

I loved your post today! I love being home and puttering around in my house, doing those useful things that need to be done. I believe that being content with our lives and the things that we do on a daily basis are very important to our well being. I can find contentment in the smallest of tasks and often take lots of pride in the smallest accomplishments! Thank you for your post today, Rhonda. It made me stop and think about the things that I do everyday and their importance - no matter how small.

Today is my last full day at work before I get on a plane and fly back to Australia. My sister is getting married so I'm going 'home' for three weeks. I can't wait.

Unfortunately I have so much to do before I leave that I'm feeling a little stressed today. It's been a long time since I've felt stressed. It used to be normal for me, but since I started downshifting stress really has left my life, for which I'm very thankful.

I have a few more hours at work and then I'm home to pack, tidy up some last minute things in the vegetable garden and prepare for the housesitter.

I spent the last few days finishing some sewing committments that were required yesterday, the house is clean and tidy, so today I play!

I'm heading off on the bus to Tweed Heads, nearly an hour away, to have lunch and spend the day with my ex-hsband's elderly mother. He and I have been divorced over 30 years, but his mother and I are best of friends and I visit her every week.

She always makes a lovely but simple meal, won't let me help with washing up, and generally takes care of me for the day....lots of cups of tea and cake or a bun, pretty good for an 87 yr old. It's a good day for both of us.

Then home to the usual routine of feeding cats, settling the 20 yr old one and making sure she's warm and comfy for the night, feeding the chooks and putting them to bed, dinner for me...and who knows..more sewing or a quiet read maybe to round off a lovely relaxing day.

I love that feeling of closing the house for the night, feeling tired and content after a fulfilling day,winding down, and knowing there's no more that 'has' to be done till next morning.

As I read your posts, I have the priviledge of enjoying the peace and tranquility I long for. I am inspired by you and others who post comments, to minimize and simplify my life, our life. I am a single mom with two boys. I homeschool them, work full time and am taking online classes working on by bachelors degree. I am all about simplifying when and where I can. I am trying to start by donating or trashing the stuff that is cluttering our home. It sounds like you have an amazing day planned. I hope your friends doctors visit went well. Thank you for being an encouragement to so many!

Relaxing day here, too. Hubby left early for physical therapy and work. I went to the garden to pick green beans, okra, and a little chard. I love the way the beans feel so cool under the leaves. Even on hotter days.

Doing "home college" with the younger son. Worked on this week's outline and Constitutional studies. Have Phonics this afternoon with our special son. Odds 'n ends around the house plus some reading.

Chocolate power drink made with homemade yogurt for a quick supper. Sipping, blogging, and waiting for Hubby to get in. A very pleasant day. Liz

We're moving house tomorrow so I'm packing! I've the kitchen, laundry, and our bedroom to box. A friend is coming over to help so there will be cups of tea and conversation throughout the day. We'll visit the new house to hopefully meet the new neighbours and let them know we're arriving. My daughter has another practice tonight for the musical, before which we'll buy takeaway - a very rare event!

I like the sound of your day, Rhonda! I'm looking forward to our days when everything is unpacked and life is back to "normal."

Today was make the phone calls I was suppose to make last week ie: dentist, haircut appt. I sewed two purses for birthday presents and vacuumed the house. Made dinner for DD and a very sick husband. He has an awful cold.

Today I will mix up some spray for curly leaf and my daughter will spray the fruit trees. Fortunately they haven't started flowering yet but I don't think I can fit two spraying in before they do.I bought another cherry yesterday so will either plant that or choose a spot for it. I have some more strawberries and blueberries to plant. I have bread to make aI want to start a plant for a friendship cake. There is weeding to do, beds to prepare and children who need time and attention too and loads of washing to be done while the rain holds off and stock to make. I'm just hoping the baby will be nicely settled today.

Rhonda you make the simplest of days sounds romantically enticing. I think it really does come down to attitude. I looked at your list and thought if that was me I would have started by complaining that DH was away all day and that I had housework to finish, maybe would get a little time to do some knitting but would have to start again in the evening. Doesn't sound so appealing now. Maybe its a maturity thing and maybe it is just a need for change of perspective. So I will work on that today and you enjoy your day.

I put in a long day at work on teh computer, still getting the hang of the new job. Ran to the post office after work and now I've had leftovers for dinner. It has rained all day and we needed it here in TX. Tonight I will check a few more blogs and facebook tehn watch a movie and work on my quilted tablecloth. Love the new header picture of your chicken!

Hi Rhonda Jean,Just a quick question on the ginger beer - I'm just making up my grocery list. For the three cups of sugar that you add with the water, is it white sugar or raw? Or does it not matter? I'm sooooo looking forward to making this for my kids - my mother used to make it all the time for us in summers past when I was growing up. I've never attempted it, but your recipe looks easy enough, so am keen to try.Hope you're having a good day. Rachel L

Dear Rachel, I have just this minute finished bottling my ginger beer. It smells divine. The type of sugar really doesn't matter. Ifyou use raw sugar you will probably have to skim a little bit of scum off the top of the drink. Otherwsie, it's the same and the taste is the same. Mine made up about 5½ litres.

Another day of self-indulgency with time with my son here Rhonda... I quickly read your blog this morning before we took off to a friends for morning tea which took until 2pm (I love it when children get along for hours and you get time to talk, don't you?!). Then home again and he and his daddy are winding down watching a quick dvd together while I have some 'me' time in the next room. I'm being a little selfish this week, and tonight going out to a movie with a girlfriend that I haven't seen in ages, so am very excited about that! Because our life is a little the opposite of most in that we're usually home, when I get to go out it's a bit of an adventure! Hope you've had a lovely day, and I'm thinking of your friend Bernadette and hoping her appointments went well.

Well while I still have a cold, it won't be much today. I will bring my son to school and hope to quilt one of my first quiltitems ever. I've seen a photo of a pincusion and fell in love with it. Now I hope I can make one of my one, without any pattern,

You've learned me and so many other people that we can do more than we've ever thought about. So this will be my first challange.

I didn't sign up at the forum yet, because I didn't understand what to do to become a memeber. Maybe I will check that also later on this day.

Popped across from somewhere else - can't remember where! But great to find you and I will come back again but just now you have reminded me about the ginger beer 'kit' I have that has been waiting for some attention so I will go and attend to it! Thank you! Love the look and the subject matters here.CKx

Just a regular day here at home. The beauty of a life like this is that every day gives you the chance to vary your tasks. Of course there are the set daily tasks we all need to do (make beds, do dishes, cook meals) but we can vary our other tasks to fit what needs to be done. We can garden, preserve food, fix something that needs fixing, or just sit on the front porch and enjoy the day. I love this life.

Today is a slow rainy day here in Missouri, my three littles are playing with play doh and we will do school lessons when the youngest takes her nap. This morn I mixed up a batch of Amish bread and it is now baking in the oven and the smell is quite Heavenly, I hope to post the recipe for the bread soon on my blog. Phall Marie

I know I am coming a little to late because I didn't have time to check in yesterday... although today

I woke up a little late but got the girls up and moving and they are doing school.

I washed the dishes and just about have laundry done.

I hope to spend a lot of time knitting today...I am just learning so I have to take it a little slow or the yarn slips off:)I can't believe how much I am enjoying it even with all the mistakes I have made:)

Tonight I am going to make up my grocery list and pay bills. We have some greenbeans to pick and freeze or can?

We are visiting Marcs brother this weekend so I have to start packing a little bit.

Rhonda...I have to say I am along time reader and you just keep getting better and better.... Thank You!!!

It is always nice to have some time alone. It gives us a break to refresh ourselves! I loved reading your post on your chickens as we have 22 of them! I certainly agree about the eggs tasting different. Well, I'm off to check on my daughter, but I'll be back to read some more!

As someone else put so eloquently, you really do make the most normal of days sound so romantic. As a stay at home mom in my thirties, who was raised by a workaholic mother, the "gentle art of homemaking" has been a challenge to me. I find comfort in reading your words and look forward to reading what you have to say everyday. Thank you for your words of wisdom and guidance that go out to the younger generations who are on our own learning these skills. Love, Love, Love your blog!SincerelyChrista H from Tennessee

My today was spent at my part-time job, with a run to our rent house at lunchtime. We're putting the rent house on the market to sell, so we've been spending a great deal of time over there getting it clean, fixing whatever needs fixing and just general work around it. It's where we lived for 10 years and there are so many memories, mostly of our daughter growing up there but it's time to let it go and hopefully, it will be purchased by another young family who will feel the love that we put into it. But we're pretty much through, so now I can have time to relax, read and crochet which is what I plan to do the next few days!

I know that children read my blog so I always check my links and information to make sure they're family-friendly. I don't publish comments containing any kind of link or email address now because I don't have time to check the links before publishing comments.

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Now in my blog's 11th year, I'm still writing about the wonders of a close family and a warm and welcoming home. The subjects are many and varied here and while most of the time I write about simple home life, gardening, knitting and recipes, I also add a sprinkling of my thoughts about ageing, a small black Scottie dog named Gracie, and anything else that rocks my boat. I'm glad you found me.

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